Lasting relationships are good for people’s
mental health – and you don’t have to be legally married to feel
the benefits.
New
research published in the January issue of the British
Journal of Psychiatry shows that men and women who are in
relationships lasting longer than 5 years are less likely to be
depressed, to consider or attempt suicide, or to be dependent on
alcohol or drugs. And importantly, it does not matter if people are
married or co-habiting.
Previous studies have shown that marriage is
associated with improved mental health. However, there has been
little research into co-habiting relationships. Researchers from
the University of Otago followed a birth cohort of over 1,000
people living in Christchurch, New Zealand. At the ages of 25 and
30, the participants were asked about their relationships over the
previous 12 months. They were also asked whether they suffered
symptoms of mental health problems such as depression, anxiety
disorder, panic disorder, phobias and substance use.
The team found that longer relationships were
associated with declining rates of mental disorder. For example, at
the age of 30, 15.6% of people who were not in a relationship
showed symptoms of depression, and 23% of people who had been in a
relationship for less than 2 years. However, the rate was only 9.8%
among people who had been in a relationship for 2-4 years, and 9.2%
among people who had been in a relationship lasting more than 5
years.
Similarly, the rate of alcohol abuse or
dependence was 12% among 30-year-olds who were not in a
relationship and 13.5% for people who had been in a relationship
for less than two years. In comparison, rates were 4.4% among those
who had been in a relationship for 2-4 years, and 2.9% among those
who had been in a relationship for more than 5 years.
The researchers found that this association
remained after they controlled for other factors, such as family
background and previous mental health problems.
Lead researcher Dr Sheree Gibb, said: “Our
study suggests that partner relationships are protective for mental
health, with the protective effect increasing as the length of the
relationship increases. This could be because emotional support and
financial stability tends to increase over the course of a
relationship.
Dr Gibb continued: “Interestingly, we found
that the legal status of the relationship did not make a
difference. In other words, it was the length of the relationship
that had a positive effect on people’s mental health – and it did
not matter if the couple was married or co-habiting. This is a
contrast to previous studies, which have reported lower rates of
mental health problems among people in legal marriages than in
co-habiting relationships.
“Our study suggests that people who are at
high risk of developing mental health problems may benefit from
efforts to improve the stability and duration of their partner
relationships, such as improved access to relationship counselling
services.”